Friday, August 08, 2008

Forgotten Books: STONE ANGEL -- Marvin H. Albert

I'm a longtime fan of the work of Marvin H. Albert under all his many names. He wrote westerns (many of them filmed), crime novels, p.i. series, and movie novelizations. Any one of his books would be an interesting topic for discussion. For an earlier post on Albert's work, click here.

Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about the Stone Angel series, which I think consists of ten books, all of them first-person private-eye novels set in France, all of them recommended. The narrator of these cases is Pete Sawyer, whose French mother, a hero of the Resistance in WWII, sent her son to live with his American grandparents after the death of Sawyer's father. Sawyer grew up in Chicago but spent his summers in France, where he now lives. Albert also lived in France, and the local color in this series is really well done. Not quite as good as being there, but the next best thing.

Stone Angel introduces Sawyer as he tackles a wandering daughter job that turns out to be a lot more complicated than expected. The girl is involved with a terrorist cell, and she's in more trouble than she realizes. Sawyer deals with cops, criminals, and the very rich as he follows her trail.

Albert was a real pro. His writing style is smooth as cream, and there's plenty of action mixed in with the travelogue and dialog. The same is true of any book in the series. Try one. You might like it.

There are nine books in the Stone Angel series which I liked a lot. I have enjoyed many of Albert's books and still have many sitting on my shelves that I need to get to. I think the last book I read by Albert was Operation Lila, a World War II historical novel. I am glad to see that there are others out there that like him. And your taste isn't always odd.

I discovered the Stone Angel series at my local library when I was in my early teens and loved it. Years later, now living in Portland, I was able to track down the whole series through Powell's and our own Murder by the Book. For those who haven't read them, they are definitely worth it!

So glad you all dug the STONE ANGEL series. I am Marvin H. Albert's proud daughter and have been rereading the series in anticipation of WILDSIDE Press's republication of all 9 books in the series next year.

I think they hold up pretty well-good action and great local color in France and Italy, as well as some fascinating WWII and postwar history woven in.

I will let you know when they are available again. Cheers, JAN ALBERT, NYC

Thanks, Jan. There are a lot of Albert fans who read this blog (including me). I once helped your dad with a copy of one of his books that he didn't have, and he sent me several autographed books in return.